My understanding was that secrets that aren't given special "Clan secret" status are not legally protected. You are not doing anything illegal by sitting behind the bushes as some Clanless nobody carelessly trains their family katas out in the open instead of within the training grounds of a walled compound. And overhearing the "private" business of civilians is pretty much a duty as opposed to something that's actually frowned upon.
You are quoting a QM post and stating that it does not match your understanding of the setting. Unless you're about to present evidence or arguments for why I'm wrong about how the MfDverse works, I'm not sure what you're hoping to achieve here.
...It's called "theft" because it's Illegal? The fact that you could have obtained the ninjutsu from another source doesn't change the fact that you obtained it against its owner's will, it just makes it harder to prove
If you have the time, would you be willing to add the mechanical information to the Macerator v1 and v2 sections in the Player Known Seals doc?
Right now, it contains the strict narrative information, and links to the physics of the seal, rather than "it applies a +X bonus to taijutsu, within a range of Y."
I may or may not be plotting out Sasha's character sheet again, given the updated information regarding poisons.
Edit: I am not an unreasonable person, and have prepared a bribe some incentive: 🍪
You are quoting a QM post and stating that it does not match your understanding of the setting. Unless you're about to present evidence or arguments for why I'm wrong about how the MfDverse works, I'm not sure what you're hoping to achieve here.
I was working off of old knowledge I guess. Also, your quote wasn't clear beyond "theft is theft". It doesn't actually say what the Leaf establishment even considers theft.
Are you saying that copying others ninja abilities without permission is always illegal in Leaf? What is that whole thing about stuff losing Clan secret status if we share it with the wrong friends that Mari and Kei have warned us about during various sanity checks? Or is it always illegal but the extent of the punishment changes?
Generally, reparations equivalent to the thief having bought that ninjutsu or seal, but with a hefty surcharge. If criminal actions were involved in the act (e.g. physically stealing sealing notes), those get punished separately. There is also a reputational cost, because while ninja won't bat an eyelid at the idea of spying on a rival, somebody who takes that risk and then gets caught is clearly incompetent and thus a poor potential ally/business partner.
A ninjutsu is common use if it's freely available (e.g. Academy or Library ninjutsu) or so common that no one person (or small group) can plausibly lay claim to it. If only three people know a ninjutsu and none of them taught you and suddenly you know it too, they have good reason to claim you stole it. If fifty people know it, not so much. Generally, the gap between private and common ninjutsu is broad enough that no legal difficulties arise.
Shikamaru stole the idea of macerators, which is not protected by law, and then had Nara sealmasters invent their own version. This is legally distinct from reverse-engineering your seals. To provide a parallel, if somebody witnessed you using Ghost Scales in the field and was inspired to hack a ninjutsu that covered the body in translucent scaly armour, they would not be stealing a clan secret.
Properly speaking, macerators weren't a clan secret anyway IIRC, since Akane, at the time a clanless ninja, had some and knew how they worked.
Shikamaru stole the idea of macerators, which is not protected by law, and then had Nara sealmasters invent their own version. This is legally distinct from reverse-engineering your seals. To provide a parallel, if somebody witnessed you using Ghost Scales in the field and was inspired to hack a ninjutsu that covered the body in translucent scaly armour, they would not be stealing a clan secret.
This sounds rife for abuse, and that anyone of sufficiently political weight can steal something and claim they were merely "inspired" by it.
Ex: Hazou witnesses a clanless ninja using a Void Slash Seal in combat, and reproduces it for his own clan. When they poked, Hazou claims that he was inspired to create a similar effect. Since each sealmaster has to research their own version of a seal, the Calligraphy of the two seals are different.
Hazou the Clan Lord, Hazou the Special Jonin, Hazou the Leaf Summoner, Hazou the Dragonslayer, Hazou the Mad is likely to win in this scenario over the clanless ninja, though social rolls may be involved to determine if it's a polite fiction that everyone sees through (and thus Hazou incurs a reputational loss), or if it's genuinely believed (Hazou was a world-famous sealmaster as a genin, after all).
----
False Edit: Leaf has existed for less than 90 years, and a good chunk of that time had the first three Hokage's mandating that everyone play nice or face Essie Anger. So it might be that these legalistic flaws didn't really matter before now?
(Also, idle curiosity, whose Hokage tenure was longer: Asuma or Minato?)
Shikamaru stole the idea of macerators, which is not protected by law, and then had Nara sealmasters invent their own version. This is legally distinct from reverse-engineering your seals. To provide a parallel, if somebody witnessed you using Ghost Scales in the field and was inspired to hack a ninjutsu that covered the body in translucent scaly armour, they would not be stealing a clan secret.
Properly speaking, macerators weren't a clan secret anyway IIRC, since Akane, at the time a clanless ninja, had some and knew how they worked
Well, macerators clearly were private and not public. Since it was just Akane + Goketsu at that time.
So for reverse-engineering seals, you would need to provably steal a blank/research notes for it to be illegal? Being "inspired" by witnessing someone use a seal isn't sufficient?
"Yūma?" Hazō asked carefully at the figure on the hospital bed.
Slowly, the sleeping figure roused, shifting slightly, then pulling himself upright with great effort. Black, greasy hair fell loosely around Yūma's slender, once attractive features, now worn by fatigue and illness.
"Lord Hazō?" he asked. He pinched himself, then rubbed at an eye to get a closer look, each motion agonizingly slow for a once lively ninja.
"Yes, it's me," Hazō said. "How are you feeling?"
Yūma blinked once, twice, thrice, then sent a grasping hand to his left to grab the cup of water left out for him. After a deep drink, he straightened up in his bed.
"Good," he said. "Better than yesterday, which was better than the day before. The headache is going away and they had me walk a couple steps yesterday. They said I can do missions again by year's end."
Hazō nodded, smiling. "That's good to hear."
"I nearly died," Yūma said. "I don't know how I can ever repay you and Lord Noburi and Lady Kei and Yuno for bailing me out."
"You don't need to repay me," Hazō said. "We're Gōketsu. This is what we do. If my life were on the line, would you have gone into the cave to save me?"
"Yes, but-"
"Then there's no debt," Hazō said. "And it's just 'Hazō'. And 'Noburi' and probably just 'Kei'. We're clan, Yūma, we can skip the formalities."
"Of course," Yūma said, looking forlornly into the empty cup.
"I heard you needed to tell me something," Hazō said.
"Yes," Yūma said. "Hazō, there was something in that cave for you. I don't know whether it was waiting for you or it was made for you or what exactly it was, but it was important. I remember thinking it was so important, I was willing to bleed out on the stone to get it for you. But Hazō, it was big. Unbelievably big, so big it felt like I couldn't hold it all in my mind."
"What was it?"
"I don't know," he said, and his grasp tightened on the wooden water cup. "The med-nin tell me that it's fake, that it's a result of the chakra beasts down there messing with my head, but I've had chakra beasts mess with my head before, and they always had a kinda similar feel to them, of something infiltrating your mind and taking control of your base desires. This was something else entirely. It was just so clear how important the thing was. Except now it's gone."
"Gone?" Hazō asked.
"I think," Yūma said. "Again, maybe I just had a head injury, but while I was asleep, I could feel the vastness of the thing shrinking and shrinking. It kept dwindling and now it's dead. I don't feel it any more. Not at all."
"Maybe," Hazō said carefully, "it was a mental compulsion drawing you into the cave so that the creatures could consume you somehow – maybe your mind or chakra. It took root in you for a while, but eventually you shook it off, and that's why you don't feel it anymore."
"I know how chakra beasts work, Hazō," Yūma said. "I've hunted predators that warp your mind to lure you into their lairs. This felt different. Real."
"Remember, it wasn't a chakra beast," Hazō said. "It was a sealing failure. Different rules. And the failure was caused by me and interacted with me somehow. It was clearly mind-affecting, the way it drew those ghosts from my memories of the past, so it's likely your mind just got affected too."
Yūma sighed. "I suppose," he said, looking again into his empty cup of water.
Hazō reached out to grasp Yūma's shoulder. "Just remember, you're okay, and we'll all be by your side as you recover. Plenty of things have messed with my head over the years. I've always found it's best to stay grounded in the real things. It'll get better, I promise."
o-o-o
Hazō blinked as the thin blue smoke around him dissipated without revealing the silken waiting room that he normally arrived in on Arachnid territory. Instead, he found himself in an open field along a small river. Long, broad-leafed trees stretched over a small encampment nearby.
"Hazō, duck!" Cantelabra called, and Hazō ducked as a ball flew past his head and nailed a… kangaroo? Who promptly stumbled back and played dead, letting the multi-colored shells it was holding scatter across the ground. Cantelabra hurried to fetch the ball as other kangaroos bounced in to gather the dropped shells, and a group of arachnids seemed to cheer the scorpion who had managed the lucky throw.
Hazō hustled away from the odd sports game to find Canabisu moseying Hazō's way.
"Summoner," the older dog said. "I see Cantelabra didn't tell you that he was in the middle of a game when you summoned him. At least the kangaroos paused while he was out."
"Canabisu, it's good to see you," Hazō said. "What's the situation? Why are there kangaroos? Why aren't we in Sanctuary?"
Canabisu looked up at Hazō, then turned, nosing his way towards the campsite. "Because Sanctuary has been evacuated."
Hazō's blood ran cold. "The Dragons?"
"That's right," Canabisu said. "A few days ago, scouts reported that the Dragons were moving again. Somewhere between one and three were still at the Great Seal, and the rest were sighted flying in some direction or another over Arachnid. Last I heard, at least one was going for the oceans. Their rampage last time went on for quite a while, so even knowing they weren't coming straight for us didn't mean we were safe. Kumokōgō had Sanctuary and all the cities evacuated to try to reduce the death toll, I think. Either way, there was a delegation from Kangaroo arriving, and they wanted to talk to you. So here we are."
Behind them, the young kangaroo team cheered as they finished stacking the colored shells, only for Cantelabra to barrel through and knock the stack over with a threatening growl.
"Is there a plan to find out what happened?" Hazō asked. "The Conclave is finally getting momentum, and Kumokōgō ought to know."
Canabisu tucked his ears back and raised a paw in uncertainty. "I've been here for a year and a half and I still don't get the Arachnid's hierarchy. They have runners, and there's plans to send someone back to Sanctuary, but I don't think we'll hear from the Empress anytime soon. I'd ask your uncle if I were you. He's probably got a spider close to the Empress. I wasn't willing to risk Cantelabra's life that close to a potential Dragon target."
"Kagome-sensei probably hasn't checked in on the Seventh Path in a couple days. I'll ask him for the update from Kumokōgō."
"If she's alive," Canabisu said cautiously.
Hazō shook his head, gesturing at the bile-yellow sky overhead. "The Arachnid clan still exists. She's definitely still alive out there, somewhere."
Canabisu shuddered. "Thanks for the horrifying reminder of what's gonna happen if the Dragons win."
"Sorry. You said the Kangaroos wanted to meet me?"
Canabisu shook his head as if he could shake away the bad thoughts as easily as water from a swim. "Yeah, that's what they said. Apparently you're the second highest authority on the Dragon thing while Kumokōgō is occupied. Are you on a schedule? Because if you can hang around, the Kangaroo Summoner should check in soon and you can talk."
"I have some time," Hazō said. "Wait, the Kangaroo Summoner?"
"I dunno, that's what they said," Canabisu said. "They've been tight-lipped on the details. Here, let me introduce you…"
o-o-o
The small tent was the sole human-produced artifact in the encampment, and it wasn't particularly impressive. In Leaf, a field tent would have been woven textile dyed red for ninja purposes, or a dull green for camouflage. Instead, stitched together animal skins had been draped over arcs of barely-shaped wood, leaving the whole tent uneven and lumpy.
Alongside Hazō and Canabisu in the tent, a single kangaroo mother waited with a young joey in her pouch. The kangaroo had politely refused to give Hazō her name, and similarly stonewalled his attempts at starting conversation. The joey had clearly been curious about the new human, but had quickly been shushed by its mother.
As if shying away from Hazō's staring, the joey disappeared in a puff of ochre smoke. A moment later, a short and stocky woman appeared. She spun on one foot and extended a spearpoint towards Hazō as soon as she saw him.
Hazō leaped as far back as he could manage in the tent, and Canabisu quickly jumped forward.
"Whoa, easy there. We're all allies here," the dog said, putting himself between Hazō and the Kangaroo Summoner, though well below the level of the spear.
The woman glanced down at Canabisu, looked searchingly at Hazō, then lowered the extended spear. She crouched down and released the joey that she'd clutched with her other arm. The joey quickly bounced back to its mother and jumped headfirst into her pouch. After some wriggling, the joey stuck its head back out of the pouch to supervise the proceedings.
The Kangaroo Summoner didn't take her eyes off Hazō as she gave him a shallow bow. "My apologies. You are the Dog Summoner, then?"
"Yes, Gōketsu Hazō," he said, returning the shallow bow. "Though I will say, while I've considered the possibilities of traps laid when I returned to the Human Path, I've never had to worry about combat while reverse summoning to a safe location."
She straightened, slinging her spear across her back and snorting slightly in what could have been a tiny laugh. "It only takes once."
Hazō took a second to scan the Kangaroo Summoner. She was shorter than him by a couple inches, though considerably stockier and clearly middle-aged by her iron-gray hair. Apart from the spear strapped around her back, there was nothing identifying about her person. No headband or insignia signaled her village or clan, and her clothing was in a rough drab green fabric that could have fit in as camouflage in any forest, or as civilian clothing anywhere at all. The only thing that stood out were a pair of red tassels tied near her speartip, though Hazō had no clue what they symbolized.
Hazō mentally noted that she declined to provide her name, and decided not to comment on it. "So, are you authorized to speak for the Kangaroos?"
She nodded. "Regarding the Dragons, I am."
"Good," Hazō said. "The Dragons are monstrosities from beyond this Path, made by the Sage to fight an ancient threat but which have themselves turned into a threat to all living creatures. While they–"
The Kangaroo Summoner held her hand up, a slight smile crossing her features. "Sorry, but we can skip the part where you try to convince me. We've already been in contact with the Arachnids, and I've personally spoken with spiders and a 'roo that saw some of the Dragons first-hand – as has Kangā. The Kangaroo Clan will stand by Arachnid in fighting against the Dragons. It's my understanding that clans from the east will show up at Arachnid at some point to fight against the Dragons, having exchanged oaths of cooperation amongst them. Assuming they would extend those same protections to Kangaroo, Kangā will personally stand beside Kumokōgō to kill the monstrosities that would threaten this Path."
Hazō blinked. "That's… great to hear. Earning a clan's cooperation has never been this easy before."
She smiled again, faint and sly. "I see. Well, Gōketsu, I already have some experience dealing with serious threats. In my time as summoner, I've earned a fair share of Kangā's trust, and even then I had trouble convincing her to risk her clan over a problem that others would potentially deal with. Still, in the end, she agreed that threats to her clan's existence are better overkilled than not killed at all. Unlike the Squirrels, I note."
"The Squirrels?" Hazō asked. "I also wanted to ask about their situation. They're just as threatened as any other Seventh Path clan, and we could use their aid."
The Kangaroo Summoner shook her head. "Unfortunately, they won't help us."
"That matches my understanding, Summoner," Canabisu said. "From what Kumokōgō said, the Squirrels were playing noncommittal or just plain dumb. It didn't sound like they wanted to learn more and help."
"I visited the Squirrels, of course," the Kangaroo Summoner said. "I don't know where they were getting information on the east from – perhaps the Crows? – but they knew enough about the Dragons to tell that humans such as yourself, the Monkey Summoner, and Orochimaru were deeply involved in the problem. All humans from Leaf, who they know to be uniformly honorless bastards. I tried to earn their cooperation, but the doors were sealed."
"In which case," Hazō sighed, "there's probably no point in me talking to them, right?"
"I suspect not," the Kangaroo Summoner said. "Unless you have a tongue silver enough to beggar the moon, and the willpower to stand under Risultana's certain anger after questioning her authority."
"Right," Hazō said, shaking his head. "Well, if their skies turn dark, hopefully they'll find it in them to feel a whit of regret."
Canabisu shuddered, the unnamed kangaroo cocked her head, and the woman laughed. "Harsh, don't you think?"
"After dealing with the Conclave in the east, I don't have much patience for people wasting my time and playing games when the stakes are their own lives," Hazō said. "Anyway, if Kangaroo was already convinced to sign on with the Dragons, why did you want to speak with me?"
Her face grew serious again. "To understand why this is happening," she said. "You are a sealmaster, and you've had well over a year to study the Great Seal and understand why it failed. The Sage, in his infinite wisdom, did indeed have a vision of a world that would last more than a millennium. He would not simply create a seal that would randomly break at some point without also giving people the tools to handle whatever's within."
Hazō shook his head. "I don't know why the Great Seal is failing. None of us know – not me, nor my uncle who is also studying the seal, nor even Orochimaru. It's not even clear that it's possible to determine the answer. For all we know, it could just have failed at random."
"Ancient seals do not generally fail 'at random'," she said with far too much confidence. "There is usually a very precise reason why they fail. What's your best guess?"
"I don't know," Hazō said. "I'd rather not guess wrong and risk you coming to some incorrect conclusion. My turn: how do you know so much about what the Sage wanted his ancient seals to do?"
She shrugged. "Like I said, experience with serious threats. I wouldn't ask you to part with whatever precious secrets you will derive from the Great Seal or the Dragon corpse. Do you really have no idea why the Great Seal could have failed? Because I can imagine one event of staggering scope in the last couple years which could maybe have weakened the Great Seal."
Hazō nodded. "I'm aware of Pain's ritual. Like I said, I don't know. It would be irresponsible of me to conjecture anything when our understanding of the Great Seal is so poor."
"I see," she said. "In that case, I have one final question. Do you have any particular reason to believe that killing the Dragons is safe?"
"What do you mean?"
"The Sage certainly could have killed the Dragons," she said. "Yet, he didn't. Maybe he wanted them around if that ancient threat you mentioned came back. If that were the case, I'd expect there to be some way to control the Dragons. Tools of war are ideally not themselves sentient, ravenous, unstoppable killing machines. If we can't control them, then he must have left them alive for some other reason."
"That's a lot of conjecture," Hazō said. "How do you know he was even capable of killing them?"
She rolled her eyes. "Based on what the Arachnids said, they killed a Dragon by cutting it. It was a very impressive cutting tool, yes, but cutting is not a new way of killing things. I have no doubt that the Sage could have done the same. That he didn't do that is information, even if I don't know what exactly it means."
"He created the Dragons. Kumokōgō said he may have been reluctant to destroy them because they were his first children. Even if he had the might, perhaps he just didn't have the willpower."
The Kangaroo Summoner crossed her arms and turned away slightly to consider, though she kept Hazō in her peripheral vision. "I see. In some myths, the Sage strikes down his brother or mother, but myth and fact are hard to disentangle. Perhaps he was a sentimental old man. Still, I'd be wary. I'm not an expert in the sealing arts, but my understanding is that many sealed things are sealed away because killing them creates more problems, harder problems, than keeping them in stasis."
"Then why did you advocate for the Kangaroo Clan to join in the Crusade?" Hazō asked.
Her expression turned grim. "Because I have investigated your story quite thoroughly, Gōketsu. I have heard the stories of the Dragons' survivors, and I have gazed upon the black sky above Archaeopteryx. Whatever problems may arise from killing them, I cannot permit their continued existence. If we can't seal them, which seems likely if you've truly made no progress understanding the Great Seal, then we must kill them. I'm well aware that even if killing someone causes a lot of fallout, you must still sometimes kill them before they hurt something you care about."
"If you want us to make the right calls so badly, then why not share what you know?" Hazō asked. "You're clearly knowledgeable. You know about the Sage and his deeds. If you share with me anything that could be useful, I swear to use it to ensure the Summon Bosses are able to kill the Dragons effectively, and that my eventual repair of the Great Seal goes well. Really, anything could be useful. Tales of the Dragons and the fights that sealed them away in the first place, tales of whoever among the Sage's companions made the Great Seal, even anything about the other seals you have experience with."
"I regret that I have nothing useful for you," she said, sighing. "I've searched the Human Path, and no source has any knowledge regarding the Dragons. Whatever they were, even the most diligent of Human Path lorekeepers didn't bother to preserve their myths. Given the scale of threat they represent, this honestly astounds me. Perhaps I haven't searched deeply enough, but the purest sources of knowledge are also the most deadly to delve…"
"Is that surprising?" Hazō asked. "Should there be someone in charge of this?"
"Yes," the Kangaroo Summoner said. "For a threat to potentially all of existence? I would expect some lineage of priests or holy men delivering the Sage's divine word down, under the very explicit instruction that failure to carry out their duty would mean a very explicit death to everything they cared about. I've seen no evidence of that. Perhaps some impure jinchūriki or overly ambitious ninja wiped them out. Given your Mori and Nara allies, I assume you've already asked the Five?"
"I have," Hazō said, leaning hard on the Iron Nerve to hide his shock. Shikamaru hadn't given him anything useful.
"There's few more dedicated to the carriage of ancient lore, for all their many, many flaws," she said. "If they didn't have anything on the Dragons, time itself may have stolen the knowledge you seek."
"And the ancient seals you've already seen?" Hazō asked. "How were they made? If you've already dealt with existential threats, what caused those seals to fail?"
She shook her head. "My oaths prohibit me from teaching others how to break seals that should never be broken. I'm afraid I must be going. Remember, the Kangaroo Clan stands by you in your fight against the Dragons. If you need me, I'm sure you can find me. You won't see much of me otherwise, as I have no desire to draw Orochimaru's attention. Farewell, Gōketsu."
The Kangaroo Summoner disappeared in a puff of ochre smoke. The kangaroo mother looked at Hazō a moment longer, then hopped out of the room.
"Was that good?" Canabisu asked. "That was good for us, right?"
"Frustrating, but good overall, I think," Hazō said with a sigh. "Come on, let's go talk to whoever's in charge of the Arachnids."
Mari has started her plan to recover the Gōketsu's finances, including getting a forward on the silk money from the Meiori Clan. The clan has a small cash buffer now, but is still fairly vulnerable to economic warfare. Naruto agreed to coordinate Tsunade and the Kurusu's gemstone sales to keep the sales slow.
Kagome confirms that Kumokōgō is alive. She reports that casualties in Arachnid have been 'minimal' – at least relative to the last rampage, and the Dragons had flown southwest-ish out to sea. She's glad that the Conclave is moving and will hopefully be ready to meet them on the south coast of Arachnid whenever they arrive.
Team Hyūga reports that they've arrived at the cave and have done a couple shallow delves to familiarize themselves with the environment. The wildlife has replenished since Team Gōketsu's last visit, so they're moving carefully. They report no sign yet of chakra crystal or golems, or anything that poses a threat to them.
Sasuke was unavailable to speak on account of his new position as a trusted advisor to the Hokage.
A ninjutsu is common use if it's freely available (e.g. Academy or Library ninjutsu) or so common that no one person (or small group) can plausibly lay claim to it. If only three people know a ninjutsu and none of them taught you and suddenly you know it too, they have good reason to claim you stole it. If fifty people know it, not so much. Generally, the gap between private and common ninjutsu is broad enough that no legal difficulties arise.
This does feel like a change from previous words of QM. Not that I'd be able to quote any...
Was all this true in Leaf before the formation of the KEI and the Nara Library as well? I distinctly recall that one of the indignities that the Clanless had to suffer was that all their jutsu were essentially considered Leaf common good if they didn't keep them really close to their chest.
@faflec Any idea if my brain is just making all this up?
Kagome confirms that Kumokōgō is alive. She reports that casualties in Arachnid have been 'minimal' – at least relative to the last rampage, and the Dragons had flown southwest-ish out to sea
She didn't carry anything identifiable on her, so my guess is that she's either a Missing Nin, or from the Eastern Continent. Perhaps from Demon Country? Though, I admit that the only connection is the name "demon" and the fact that she's had experience with existential threats before.
For a threat to potentially all of existence? I would expect some lineage of priests or holy men delivering the Sage's divine word down, under the very explicit instruction that failure to carry out their duty would mean a very explicit death to everything they cared about.
yeah : (
Imagine if waiting beyond all the spectres of hazo's past was an uncensored collection of ancient lore, just there for our taking.
Wouldn't that be funny?
: (
[x] Action Plan: Trading For What We Need
Words: tbd
Optimize with Mari, Kei, Snowflake, etc
Multithread with SC as necessary
Kabuto
We need to get a message to Orochimaru ASAP regarding the Great Seal.
Did Orochimaru leave you a more expedient way of contacting him?
If Yes, deliver a sealed letter that updates him on our progress with regard to lithosealing. Imply we're willing to trade for it, negotiations themselves pending. Use obscure phrasing. Coordinate with Mari to toe the line between "vague enough for OPSEC but without pissing of Orochimaru." Coordinate with Kagome to encrypt this using one of Jiraiya's older cyphers (ideally one we know that Orochimaru knows, from Jiraiya's personal journals)
If not, post a Tower Mission to deliver the letter to Orochimaru (he was found when Asuma died, should be possible) and send a copy via the Snakes.
Sasuke
Sasha graduates in almost 5 months. We want her to have the best possible chance at survival. We have seals covered, but we want to be certain that we give her the greatest chance at survival that we can.
We're looking for an amazing combat jutsu that a ninja can build their career upon. That said, we understand the personal value that legacies have (we were reluctant to donate Jiraiya's sealing textbook to Asuma's Contest). We wouldn't want you to put a price on your family's personal legacies... but the Uchiha Clan have a hoard of jutsu stolen from Leaf's enemies.
Are you willing to sell, and at what price?
OOC Suggestions for QMs:
A small mountain of seals (a la Yamanaka Deal)
Training a sealmaster (a la Hagoromo)
Master/Apprentice (a la Akane and KEI)
Seals and Sealing Notes of Jonin-Tier seals (perhaps from the pile that Itachi took from the Goketsu?)
Hagoromo
Trade:
Harumitsu's cold seals for Hazou's Conclave seals
Internally: an excuse to get his student a wider tech base, while also showing an active interest and acknowledgement of value in Harumitsu's work. Grit teeth, this is above personal disputes. We want Harumitsu to live a long life.
Dragonwar Info:
Asuma told us he'd contact you about information regarding the Dragonwar, but he never got back to us.
What do you know?
Get Naruto's stamp of approval on this, first. Naruto might have been unwittingly sitting on Asuma's report. If Asuma didn't write it down, then we'll at least have the current Hokage's backing on this.
Give Shinji and Kazushi a day off of sealing. Cover the difference with remaining SC hours. Any excess will be funneled into the Seal Bank.
"I see," she said. "In that case, I have one final question. Do you have any particular reason to believe that killing the Dragons is safe?"
"What do you mean?"
"The Sage certainly could have killed the Dragons," she said. "Yet, he didn't. Maybe he wanted them around if that ancient threat you mentioned came back. If that were the case, I'd expect there to be some way to control the Dragons. Tools of war are ideally not themselves sentient, ravenous, unstoppable killing machines. If we can't control them, then he must have left them alive for some other reason."
"That's a lot of conjecture," Hazō said. "How do you know he was even capable of killing them?"
This version swaps out the Kabuto section for a Bear Boss section.
[x] Action Plan: Trading and the Bear Necessities
Words: tbd
Optimize with Mari, Kei, Snowflake, etc
Multithread with SC as necessary
Meet with Bear Boss, convince him to join the Conclave.
No one is safe, eventual danger to everyone, even the Human Path
Better Overkill than Underkill
Seventh Path connections?
Sasuke
Sasha graduates in almost 5 months. We want her to have the best possible chance at survival. We have seals covered, but we want to be certain that we give her the greatest chance at survival that we can.
We're looking for an amazing combat jutsu that a ninja can build their career upon. That said, we understand the personal value that legacies have (we were reluctant to donate Jiraiya's sealing textbook to Asuma's Contest). We wouldn't want you to put a price on your family's personal legacies... but the Uchiha Clan have a hoard of jutsu stolen from Leaf's enemies.
Are you willing to sell, and at what price?
OOC Suggestions for QMs:
A small mountain of seals (a la Yamanaka Deal)
Training a sealmaster (a la Hagoromo)
Master/Apprentice (a la Akane and KEI)
Seals and Sealing Notes of Jonin-Tier seals (perhaps from the pile that Itachi took from the Goketsu?)
Naruto
Get Kagome SC, cite Dragonwar and Tsunade's recommendation
Did Asuma leave any info on Dragons that he got from the Hag? If not, may we have your permission to ask the Hagoromo Loremasters about them?
Hagoromo
Trade:
Harumitsu's cold seals for Hazou's Conclave seals
Internally: an excuse to get his student a wider tech base, while also showing an active interest and acknowledgement of value in Harumitsu's work. Grit teeth, this is above personal disputes. We want Harumitsu to live a long life.
(if Naruto didn't have Asuma's resport) Dragons: What do the Hagoromo Loremasters know?
Cite Hokage's orders if necessary.
Give Shinji and Kazushi a day off of sealing. Cover the difference with remaining SC hours. Any excess will be funneled into the Seal Bank.
It might if they respawn without the powers they stole and Clans could have their Souls back tbh. It would be way easier to deal with them in the future if they were not gigaboosted. 3 Dragons with a few powers back were evenly matched against the Flying Dino Clan Boss after all, and thats after it already exhausted itself and its Clan fighting more earlier.
